A hurricane, such as Katrina, in the Gulf of Mexico, can cause water levels to rise well above normal, especially in coastal areas. When this occurs near the mouth of a river, such as the Mississippi river, water levels in the river can rise to dangerous levels.
Water from a body of water (e.g., the Gulf of Mexico) into which the river empties, is forced up the river, colliding with water flowing down the river and towards the body of water. This causes water pressure against levees to increase, to the point of either flowing over the levees and/or bursting the levees to endanger people, property, and animal life, located behind levees. What is needed is a storm-surge apparatus which will alleviate, or eliminate, the water pressure against the levees.